A cache titled “Light Uptown” is one of Hot Springs’ newest geocaches. A joint venture between the SummerFest Light Uptown committee and two geocaching enthusiasts, Kay Ekey and Susan Batterton, it is one of hundreds to be found around the Hot Springs area.
What is geocaching? In a nutshell, geocaching is a high-tech treasure hunt using GPS receivers or GPS-enabled phones. Players, aptly called “geocachers,” have hidden over 3 million caches all over the world for players to find.
What is Light Uptown? It is a grassroots effort to revitalize the Uptown/Park Avenue area of Hot Springs by purchasing and installing Central Park-style street lights along Park Avenue.
These ‘night sky’ LED street lights will light the neighborhood from Whittington Avenue to the 1000 block of Park Avenue with a beautiful, historical glow. Eight of the 77 light posts are already in place, seven green and one red.
The one and only red light post will be the wayfinder to the Northwoods Trailhead which is being constructed in an undeveloped forest on the north edge of town. The first 16-mile phase opens in November, and will be part of the Northwoods Trail System that will eventually consist of 44.6 miles of mountain biking trails.
This “Light Uptown” cache is being placed in honor of the hard work of the residents who have brought so many changes to the historic area.
As for geocaching, there are several different types of caches. A Traditional Cache is the simplest form of a geocache. It consists of a container with a logbook, and is located at the posted coordinates. Cache containers come in many different sizes.
There are rules, guidelines and etiquettes for hiding and finding caches.
At its simplest level, geocaching requires these 8 steps:
Register for a free Basic Membership at www.geocaching.com.
Visit the “Hide & Seek a Cache” page.
Enter your postal code and click “search.”
Choose any geocache from the list and click on its name.
Enter the coordinates of the geocache into your GPS Device.
Use your GPS device to assist you in finding the hidden geocache.
Sign the logbook and return the geocache to its original location.
Share your geocaching stories and photos online.
To learn more about geocaching and for information about this cache, visit www.geocaching.com. (Search for “Light Uptown” GC7XZ2E.) Be sure to bring your own pen and perhaps a tiny treasure to swap.
To learn more about Light Uptown, call Angie Ezekiel 501-655-1255 or Hannah Mills 501-282-1872.
There are several types of GPS units typically used by Geocachers. Shop around to find the one that suits your needs and your budget.
